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NCAA MEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: KANSAS CITY

March 28, 2019

Kansas City, Missouri

THE MODERATOR: Up one the dais, Kenny Williams and Cameron Johnson representing the student body. We have an opening statement from Cameron Johnson.

Cam, please.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Here we go. We had a good week of practice this week. Got out here safely and looking forward to what's to come. There you go.

THE MODERATOR: Start right here. Thank you.

Q. Kenny, you can answer this.
Cameron, you can also can.

Coach Pearl was up here talking about how difficult a matchup you guys were for them. What about Auburn gives you the most concern, and why is it a tough matchup for you guys?

KENNY WILLIAMS: You know, they shoot the ball so well, and kind of weird because you think about getting back in transition, think about protecting the basket. They like to run to the 3-point line and get those 3s in transition. You got to make some adjustments, but the biggest thing is the way they shoot the ball. I think everybody knows that.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Shoot a lot of 3s and make a lot of 3s. They've been doing that pretty well, especially late. We'll have to pay special attention to that.

Q. Kenny, for you. In years where UNC has been really good, '05, '09, '17, there's been a 2-3 -- besides the Jackie Manuel, Marcus Ginyard, is Brandon Robinson kind of the next guy in that line of guys that are good on defense, big energy, comes off the bench and gives that spark?
KENNY WILLIAMS: Yes, I think so. Because B Rob, he's willing to sacrifice his body, points, whatever it may be, to bring energy and B Rob comes in off the bench, he makes the right play. He plays hard and with energy.

That's -- you always need a guy like that. He's done a great job of filling that role for us this year, and I think next year he'll be able to step in with an expanded role, and I think he'll take off with it.

Q. Kenny, do you see a lot of yourself in Brandon and his development and kind of the path that he's taken?
KENNY WILLIAMS: Yeah, a little bit. You know, his first two years weren't the easiest, I'm sure. But, you know, I'm just happy with him with the success he's having this year. He stuck with it and he fought and he just kept working hard. I think that's why he's had the success he's had this year and the success he will have next year. The Pats are somewhat the same. Wasn't the easiest, but everything always comes around and it's coming around for B Rob right now.

Q. Kenny, can we just get an update on your hamstring and then also Nas's apparently got the flu and is going to be questionable. If he's not able to go tomorrow, he's limited in any way, what does that do for y'all?
KENNY WILLIAMS: Well, first off, my hamstring is feeling pretty good. I did a little bit of practice yesterday. I'll practice today, but I don't think it will be any setback for me in terms of Nas, though. We're hoping he's going to be out there. I'm sure Doug and Jonas will do everything they can to get him back feeling stronger and feeling healthy.

The fortunate thing if he doesn't play, we've got guys that can step up. You know, of course we want him out there. We don't want anybody to not be able to play. But if he doesn't, you know, like I said we've got guys to step up. We've B Rob, we've got Sev, and our guys in the starting lineup that can play more minutes if we have to.

Nas is just someone that can come off the bench and give you 15, 20 minutes and he'll be a factor. But if he's not there -- it's nothing that we're not used to. We're used to guys not being able to play. So somebody will step up, and it's only a matter of who.

Q. Cam, Coach's got a pretty good history here in Kansas. Do you notice anything different? He's back here, is the looser or is he more on edge or just he's so focused you really can't tell the difference?
CAMERON JOHNSON: He's so focused you really can't tell. On the way over here from the hotel, he's telling stories and about when he had to travel all around the world to get home and back for Christmas. And so he's pretty much himself right now. He's a good ole coach.

Q. Either one of you guys. You really dominated the boards. Cam, I guess you're more of an inside guy, you can talk to this.
Kenny, you gave me the dirty look, so you can answer it, too. You guys dominated the boards last week even more than usual.

Their weakness is rebounding and your strength is rebounding. So, how do you take full advantage of it against these guys?

CAMERON JOHNSON: He out rebounded me against Washington. I came up short, but everybody else did what they're supposed to do. I'll have to get a couple more this game. We got to keep going, and that's the thing about offensive rebounding. It's just about getting there and getting yourself in the right position. Sometimes the ball falls to you. Sometimes it doesn't. The more bodies you throw at it, the better off you are. We're good in doing transition defense. It will be a big part of our game plan going forward, and it's something that we really do hang our hat on.

Q. Mr. Rebounder.
KENNY WILLIAMS: That's just what we do. You know, like you said, it's our strength. We're going to try to go out there and out rebound anybody by 30 if we can. We haven't emphasized it anymore just because of their rebounding numbers. Coach emphasizes it enough even if it's more. Like I said, we'll focus on what we can do and rebounding is one of them.

THE MODERATOR: Is there anything else for the gentlemen from North Carolina?

Q. The Auburn coach was saying that you guys consider an offensive rebound like -- or defensive rebound three seconds from a layup at the other end. I'm wondering how you guys put into words the tempo that you prefer?
CAMERON JOHNSON: Coach emphasizes every practice, and he just -- when we get the ball, he says run. If somebody is not running, he yells at them to run. He yells at us over and over about it even when you're dog tired at the end of the practice. So it's not like we're defensive rebound, three seconds to a layup. We didn't really think of that. We just go out there and somebody gets the ball, rebound and take off.

A big thing of what we want to do get a separation between the point guards and the wings running the floor and the big running the floor. They've been on us pretty hard recently about that. Again, we practice it a lot, work on it a lot. It's just what we like to do.

THE MODERATOR: Okay. Anything else for the Tar Heels?

Gentlemen, thank you very much and best of luck tomorrow.

The head coach of North Carolina is here for 15 minutes, Coach Roy Williams. We'll ask him to make a statement on his team, about being in Kansas City, and we'll get to questions.

ROY WILLIAMS: We're happy to be here. Every coach is going to say that. The longer you play, the more you enjoy it. My team has gotten a little bit better and a little bit better throughout the course of the season. Played pretty well last week in Columbus. Need to play really well here.

I watched the Kansas/Auburn tape and scary. No question about that. Bruce has done a great job with his team and the kids have responded well. So we're looking to hopefully play well.

Q. I understand you didn't get it from Coach Smith, but your number of teams left on the board celebration, where did you come up with that and how did that get started?
ROY WILLIAMS: We started it in 1991. It was our first run to the Final Four, and I have no idea where it came from. It just seemed like a nice thing to do. I think Coach Smith, when I was working for him, he talked about how each step was really so much more fun, so we thought about it a little bit at that time. I really can't tell you. Something I fell into. I still use the regular grip and don't use crossover putting, so I still do that, too.

Q. Auburn as a team has shot the 3 ball extremely well this season. As a team, how do you kind of combat that defensively tomorrow night?
ROY WILLIAMS: We better get out and guard them. There's no question about that. What they've done is off the charts. North Carolina has been pretty good and had some pretty good shooting teams and last year made 305 and this year we made 305. Auburn has made 421, so that's another couple of leagues away from what we are.

But you got to get out and guard them. You try to make them stop, stop them from getting out in transition because that's where they shoot a lot is in transition. Don't turn it over and don't take bad shots which leave them out to the run outs. And the other thing, you got to be tough enough to guard your man so nobody has to help you every possession and -- because as soon as you help, they find the open man and everybody can shoot it. They've got a whole team of green lights.

Q. The numbers say you guys are playing at, you know -- you usually breakneck pace. How, why, what makes that happen for you?
ROY WILLIAMS: Well, we've done it every year I've been a coach. That's just the way we play. I never had a team that played as fast as I wanted them to play and this one, too. I want us to play a heck of a lot faster than we're playing. I do believe in getting a quality shot at the end of it.

If you talk to our guys, if they were come around I say, "attack, attack, attack" and I pause and they say, "under control." It is. It's the way we've always played. And when I played a hundred years ago, I loved playing that way and I think fans like to see it. And the only group left is coaches, and I don't necessarily think the game was meant for my enjoyment, Which is not a lot, I can tell you.

Q. As your team is advancing through the tournament, there are also a lot of coaches who are losing their jobs. Makes us really realize how difficult it is to do what you guys do.
You've been doing it a long time, it's a very, very, competitive profession and yet you don't seem to have made many enemies along the way. I want to know, what is secret?

ROY WILLIAMS: You're moving in an awfully small group of people, John.

Q. What's the secret of you developing such positive relationships with other coaches, the media, and administrators?
ROY WILLIAMS: The coaches, first of all, my high school coach was most influential man in my life. My parents broke up when I was young and my mother was the angel of the world. But my high school basketball coach set a standard for me that I'll never be able to reach. And then when I get in college, I was there with Coach Smith. He set a standard that I'll never be able to roach reach.

But I do really like coaches. For the most part, I believe coaches get into the game because they love the game and love working with teams, love working with kids. And so it's a group that I feel a great deal of friendship with.

I have a great deal of respect for so many coaches. You mentioned the media. I don't know that -- I probably have some enemies in the media that just don't say too much. When I first got the job at Kansas 31 years ago, I told all of them, I will try to do everything I can to help you do your job as long as you don't harm me from doing mine. I'm straightforward with that part of it.

And then people themselves, I like people. I don't have a problem. They said, "Don't you get tired of doing an autograph or picture?"

I said, "No. What I would get tired of is if I walked into a room and you saw me and went out the other door. I would really get tired of that."

There's a couple of guys in this room that I've been around for several years, and somebody that's even got an old gray beard in the back, I remember from a long time ago. Two, three of you. Jerry just doesn't have a beard.

Q. Coach, you mentioned coaching and loving to coach. Same thing Coach Pearl just said when he was up here before. There have been a few black eyes running around in college basketball right now. What's your sense of where basketball is and the perception of what's been going on off the court and what can be done to fix that?
ROY WILLIAMS: Well, you know, that's a hard answer. I've only got six and a half minutes left, I could use all of that.

I don't enjoy it, but, at the same time, I've been criticized because I don't move in that world. I've been a head coach for 31 years. I've never had a parent ask me for anything. I don't deal with agents. I wear shoes, but that's what I do with them. I don't do anything else with those people.

There's no question it's a black eye right now, I think is the terminology you used.

But that's what we have in society right now too. There's a lot of things going on in our world I'm not happy about. The NCAA was formed in about 1906, and it was formed because President Roosevelt said there were some things going on in football recruiting. One school was trying to steal players from the other school. So we've had problems like that all the time. Now with social media and the attention and everybody's got a camera, everything is out in the public.

I really have not -- I have not been approached. And I make decisions, I look at situations and say, you know, that's probably not going to be our kind of situation. I love dealing with parents and so -- it's bothersome to me, yes. It gets so much attention, yes. That bothers me, too, because I think there's a lot of great things going on in college basketball, particularly -- you sit back there and listen to Cam, Kenny and Luke talk, you like those guys. There's a bunch of those guys out there, there's a bunch of coaches out there gave give me that same kind of feeling.

Q. Roy, I know you like to say that you wouldn't mind bringing your team to play on the moon as long as you're still playing. But is there anything special about being back here in Kansas? And the other thing is, have you or do you plan on spitting in the river before tomorrow's game?
ROY WILLIAMS: I'm going to sneak around and do what I wanted to do without telling anybody. It is a river and it does go into the Mississippi. That's what I was told a hundred years ago, that spitting in the Mississippi was good luck. And so those are the places that I've been. I don't spit in the French Broad up in the mountains of North Carolina.

It's fun to come back here. I met a couple of my buddies last night, couple of our former players. I'll have some former Kansas players coming to the game. My family will be here because Scott and his family is coming and he's got a bunch of buddies that he gets to see and Wanda is having lunch today with one of her good friends. I have tremendous number of friends that are really, really important to me. I shouldn't say tremendous number of friends. I have friends who are tremendously important to me that I will get a chance to see and I spent some time with them last night.

Q. I'm wondering about Auburn's style of play and is it different from other teams, is it more dangerous with the 3s?
ROY WILLIAMS: When they're making shots like that when they did in the first half against Kansas, it's hard for anybody to beat them. That's the facts. You hope they miss some on their own, and you hope you guard them, and that helps influence them missing some.

No, really impressive what they did. And we've played with teams that wanted to play a fast pace. We again, we like to do it after make or a miss. Auburn does it more out of a miss or a turnover than they do after a make.

That pace and shooting that 3-point shot that quickly is hard to handle if they're making those shots like they were.

Q. What can you tell about Nassir and his illness and what will go into whether or not he plays tomorrow?
ROY WILLIAMS: Didn't feel good last night. Was running a little bit of a temperature this morning. Didn't feel like eating. I didn't bring him over here to the arena with us. I have no idea. I can say it's hard to make a 180-turn because there's no way in the world he could play if we're playing today. He's sitting there and he has a plate in front of him. He felt -- looked to me like it was hard to pick up the fork. And the last time I looked, it wasn't that heavy.

I don't foresee making a decision until game time. But if he's like he is now, there's no way he can play.

Q. Roy, in '05 you guys had Jackie Manuel. '09 Marcus Ginyard. '17 Kenny Williams. Is Brandon Robinson next guy in that line of the 2-3 tweeners really defensive mind that bring that spark off the bench?
ROY WILLIAMS: Kenny Williams again is the best perimeter defender we have. Only problem is, B Rob likes people and he tends to hug them away from the ball. Sometimes the referee is standing right there and calls a foul, and sometimes that means he's way over there when the ball is being driven to the basket. But he has gotten better and better and he's important to our club, and I think if he continues to invest in that part of it on the defensive end of the floor, he'll really be more important to us in the future. You can watch him. He'll hub somebody tomorrow.

Q. If Nas can't go, how does that affect your team? What do you miss? How do you fill that void?
ROY WILLIAMS: Guys, we had breakfast at 10:30. So I haven't exactly got our staff together and talked about it for ten hours. But we've played without Nasair in moments already this year. He was playing his basket -- his basketball was going up and up and up and sprains his ankle and the doesn't play much in the Virginia game and he gets poked in the eye in the next game or visa versa. Then he started going -- leveling off and not going on the upward spiral like we wanted him to.

In the last two games last weekend, he was sensational. If he's going to play like that all the time, we're going to miss that greatly because we don't have anybody that can do those things he did. Like I said, we've had to play without certain guys. Couldn't be any worse than it was last weekend. Garrison Brooks is our most solid defender, goes out. I don't think we're going to get him back. Kenny goes down and I don't think we're going to get him back. Garrison had surgery and all kinds of stuff and -- but they were able to come back and play.

Somebody in Kansas, somebody at Auburn, somebody at Kentucky, somebody in every school has got to step up and play, and there's somebody in the North Carolina uniform got to be able to step up and play tomorrow.

Q. Now that you've coached more years in Chapel Hill than Lawrence, any new reflections on that time? I know when you come back here, it's always brought up.
ROY WILLIAMS: It's been harder the times that I've come back here because we played Kansas. That's been really, really difficult for me. Lawrence, Kansas, University of Kansas, Allen Fieldhouse. That was 15 great years to me, 15 years that I really loved, and that's the way I look back on it.

Coming back and playing Kansas here, playing them the next year in St. Louis, those kind of things, it isn't pleasant because of my feeling for that school and a lot of the people. I come in today and I see three, four great friends handling, giving me my wrist band and everything else. And I enjoy that part of it.

But the way I look on it is that when I got to Kansas they went through 93 people. I was the 94th person they interviewed and gave me the job. I had 15 great years there and loved it every minute. But it was time for me to move on. And it's been 16 years at North Carolina now. And I was able to go back home, and my sister and my dad passed away the first two years after I got back, so I was glad that I was closer for them and things like that. No, I've been a very lucky guy to say the least.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Good luck, Roy. Thank you.

ROY WILLIAMS: Thanks, Joe.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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